September 18, 2007 (The Economic Times) D1 Oils, the UK biofuels producer that grows its own materials, will “comply” with an Indian court ruling if found guilty of violating laws designed to control foreign exploitation of the nation’s resources.The Indian National Biodiversity Authority referred the company to a court in the district of Raipur for allegedly using strains of jatropha, a plant used to make biodiesel, without approval, the authority’s chairman said. Indian plantation accounts for 35 per cent of D1 Oils’ jatropha farming.
“The legislation in India should not apply to jatropha,” Ronald Oxburgh, D1 Oils chairman, said today. “Everything we did in India was based on this belief. If it turns out to be wrong, we will certainly comply.”
London-based company D1 Oils is seeking to develop higher- yielding jatropha seeds to boost production and meet growing demand for alternative fuels.
It said that the company has plans to start a joint venture with BP Plc, Europe’s second-largest oil company, to plant jatropha, a drought-resistant, oilseed-bearing tree.
Asia Cleantech 